District IX
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
Most of us here in District IX live too far for it to be feasible on a regular basis, but if you ever get the chance to attend Joe Nall Week at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina, you should take it. I’ve been there once before, and I recently was able to attend as your vice president for AMA’s annual national Membership Meeting.
The meeting went well, with updates on government relations, including FAA-Recognized Identification Areas and the new FAA Reauthorization bill. A couple of prestigious awards were presented to Triple Tree’s Pat Hartness and our longtime former AMA chief financial officer, Keith Sessions, who just stepped down this past year.
Joe Nall can be slightly overwhelming with nearly 1,400 registered pilots and probably double that number of spectators. You most likely won’t get much time on the main flightline or 3D flightline, but there are Control Line circles, an electric flightline, electric 3D line, a helicopter area, drone racing area, three ponds to drive boats, and my personal favorite, the float-flying pond.
It took some planning, but I specifically left a float airplane with a friend at an event last year, knowing he was going to Joe Nall Week, with the hopes that I would be able to make it this year. It worked out, and I’m glad it did, because no matter how busy the rest of the 250 acres were, the float pond always seemed to have room for a few more pilots!
Because North Dakota is a fairly windy place,
The people flying in the picture (L-R) are Aaron Newton, Ashton Newton, David Schlindwein, Ryan Nelson, and District IX AVP Terry Wiles.
it’s rare that I get to float-fly. It’s not that I don’t have opportunities, it’s just that when there’s a day without any wind or a light wind, I’d rather take my trailer full of airplanes to the field than one or two to the lake.
The main flightline and the 3D flightline have amazing airplanes and pilots doing things I could only ever dream of, but when the noontime demonstrations are done for the day, you’ll probably find me at the pond with a few of my friends doing touch-and-gos off the water!
AMA’s partnership with EAA’s AirVenture Oshkosh goes back quite a few years. One of the first joint efforts was allowing AMA youth to fly RC electric-powered aircraft at Pioneer Airport in the evenings during the weeklong AirVenture event. The number of fliers grew quickly, and a few years back, a safety training session was implemented that all of the RC pilots had to attend before they were allowed in the air, but if a pilot flew more than one day, there was no way of knowing whether they had already completed the safety course.
Associate Vice President (AVP) Jim Tiller was a part of those discussions and suggested a souvenir pin to be an identification mark. Jim funded the production of the first pins himself since there was no budget for such a product. The number of pilots attending continues to grow, and when the number of pins required grew past 250, Jim asked District IX to help defray the costs so that the program could continue.
Here is this year’s iteration of the “I flew RC at AirVenture” pin. I think you’ll agree that its a great thing for pilots of all ages to take away as a record of that experience.
I think this concept might be used for other events and not just for youth pilots. Let me know what you think.
Brandon Koch
Vice President
amadistrictix@modelaircraft.org
Mandan ND
(701) 471-9575
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENTS
Craig Bastian, Casper WY; (307)577-6463; craigb1961@msn.com
Brian Blois, Winter Park CO; (720) 333-2720; brian.blois@outlook.com
Tyler Brown, Lincoln NE; (402) 617-0444; tylerzxn9@yahoo.com
Mark Dennis, Longmont CO; (951) 203-7776, MarkDflyer@gmail.com
Zac Heskin, Underwood ND; (701) 340-2039; zheskin23@yahoo.com
Rick McCaskill, Frederick CO; (303) 682-0440; rickm1947@aol.com
Zachary Roller, Rapid City SD; (605) 519-0815; zroller28@gmail.com
Arend Schuurman, Elkton SD; (605) 695-2122; arend.schuurman@gmail.com
Jim Tiller, Custer SD, (605) 390-3878; jillrt@hotmail.com
Terry Wiles, Harrisburg SD; terryscustom@yahoo.com
EVENT SANCTION COORDINATOR
Troy Hamm, Gardner KS; (913) 744-5745; funflyr@juno.com
